Area military members get Legends off to good start

It's not easy to unnerve a United States Army sergeant coming off two tours of duty in Iraq.

But golf can do funny things to people. And golf with people watching is even more daunting, as Erice Kency discovered Friday morning on Hutchinson Island.

Kency, a command sergeant major stationed at Fort Stewart, was selected to hit the opening drive at a morning ceremony to kick off this year's Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf and found himself on the first tee in front of fellow soldiers, local golf fans and Champions Tour officials.

He just never showed any signs of anxiety, ripping a shot straight down the fairway to start a week of golf and appreciation for the military in Savannah.

"I was nervous, way more nervous than on an actual first tee,'' said Kency, a Jackson, Miss., native, who plays to an 8-handicap. "I just wanted to hit a good shot.''

His long drive that flew deep down the fairway on The Club at Savannah Harbor's first hole launched a three-day weekend that will be big for the city, the Legends and local military.

Tournament officials are honoring soldiers stationed at Hunter Army Airfield and Fort Stewart throughout the Legends, offering free admission and refreshments in a USO hospitality area behind the 18th green. The Ambassador's Club Fill-the-Fairway Campaign in February and March was a sales initiative in which local businesses were asked to purchase 50-ticket packages that would be donated to military personnel. The Champions Tour matched the total number of tickets donated, making it possible for more than 1,000 soldiers and their families to enjoy a day at Savannah's largest sporting event, which generates an estimated $10 million economic impact for the city each spring.

"I think it's great that the tournament is taking the time and effort to honor the soldiers who have returned from Iraq,'' said Ray Gaster, president of the Savannah USO. "Right now some businesses are shying away from doing that. But I think this shows that the community cares about the military, that they're saying you're part of the family. It speaks well of the community, the tournament and the military that they can mesh so well.''

All three came together at an uplifting ceremony before play Friday.

After opening comments, soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division marched to the first tee carrying U.S. and 3rd ID flags before Savannah's Roger Moss sang the national anthem.

Liberty Mutual Senior Vice President for Communications, Steve Sullivan, presented a check for $6,000 to Operation Helping Hand, a program operated by the Chaplain's Fund at Fort Stewart and Hunter that provides financial assistance to active-duty military families. Then Kency ripped a drive that would have pleased any player that followed him through the first tee Friday.

"He looked pretty good out there,'' said Gaster. "Maybe he should be playing in the tournament.''

Actually, Kency will be content to watch, which he plans on doing all three rounds of the Legends.

He said he got into golf on a bet in 1992 when he challenged a few friends in the service that he could outdrive them. Length is still the strong suit of the game he says he hones mostly at Fort Stewart and he says he occasionally hits 320-yard drives.

That ability was one of the reasons he was chosen to participate in the opening ceremony.

This weekend, he'll be appreciating the accuracy of the Champions Tour pros. And he'll enjoy doing so from the other side of the ropes than where he found himself and some pressure Friday morning.

"Everyone else was scared to do it,'' Kency said of how he became the soldier chosen to hit the opening drive. "I'm just looking forward to coming out here and watching them play this week. I like to see a different winner every week.''